IBNS-CMEDIA: An Israeli man who survived the October 7 Hamas attack was among those injured during Sunday’s terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which left 16 people dead, Australian media reported.
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, who lived in Israel for 13 years, said he had arrived in Australia just two weeks ago to work with community members when the attack unfolded.
Recounting the horrifying moments, Ostrovsky told 9News that he was attending a Hanukkah celebration with his family when gunfire erupted.
“I was here with my family. It was a Hanukkah celebration. There were hundreds of people — children, elderly, families — enjoying themselves,” he said.
“Kids were playing at a festival and then, all of a sudden, it was absolute chaos. There was gunfire everywhere. People were ducking. It was absolute chaos,” he added.
“We didn’t know what was happening or where the gunfire was coming from.”
Australian police have since identified the attackers behind the Bondi Beach massacre as a father and son, according to local media reports.
As per The Sydney Morning Herald, 24-year-old Naveed Akram was apprehended at the scene and taken to hospital, where he remains under police guard in a critical but stable condition. His father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was shot dead during an exchange of fire with police.
Media reports said the father and son were of Pakistani origin.
Police confirmed that multiple officers exchanged fire with the attackers, during which two officers — a constable and a probationary constable — were shot.
Initially, 14 people, including the 50-year-old shooter, were declared dead at the scene. Forty-two others, including four children and the younger attacker, were taken to hospitals across Sydney.
Authorities later confirmed that two additional victims — a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man — died in hospital, taking the total death toll to 16.
The victims have not yet been formally identified, though police believe their ages range from 10 to 87 years.
